Our work
Our experts collaborate to identify challenges, define objectives and formulate solutions.
Audit, heuristic & competitive eval identify service site needs
When new right to repair laws were announced, a national retailer took the opportunity to examine an existing service site, originally designed for service and repair personnel. There were numerous issues with it, however, and it didn’t serve the needs of intended users, much less consumers. Upper management labeled it “terrible” and knew major improvements were needed but didn’t know exactly what those were or how to properly prioritize. To complicate things further, they faced challenges with limited internal resources, which made it difficult to design, develop, implement, and maintain a massive update.
Several focus groups with various stakeholders were already underway, revealing numerous site functionality and navigation issues. In order to further understand strengths, weaknesses and additional opportunities for improvement, we took a 3-pronged approach, including a comprehensive site audit, a user-focused heuristic evaluation, followed by an in-depth competitive evaluation.
The audit captured data on search functionality, product page content, such as photos and parts lists, and site documents, such as service manuals. The heuristic evaluation revealed feature- and functionality-related issues of varying scope and severity. The competitive evaluation collected key insights from other service sites.
All three efforts produced valuable insights into content, features, data storage structure and overall site design. Applying UX expertise, we provided actionable recommendations focused on improving service site functionality, design and usability. Recommendations included strengthening search functionality , redesigning the interface, and adding content, such as videos, to guide and support site users. Combined with findings coming out of focus groups, all served as the foundation for recommendations provided to design a service site that better meets user needs and satisfies upcoming right to repair laws.
Focus group findings help identify service site needs
When new right to repair laws were announced, a national retailer took the opportunity to examine an existing service site, originally designed for service and repair personnel. There were numerous issues with it, however, and it didn’t serve the needs of intended users, much less consumers. Upper management labeled it “terrible” and knew major improvements were needed but didn’t know exactly what those were or how to properly prioritize. To make matters worse, they lacked internal resources to effectively design, develop or implement a massive update, much less maintain it.
We had already started an audit, heuristic, and competitive evaluation of the current site, all revealing numerous issues with branding, functionality, documentation, and more. We wanted to hear directly from users, however, in order to fully understand most critical needs, now and looking forward. To do that, we engaged with site stakeholders, including current and potential users.
Key findings from six focus groups revealed 100+ unique issues with the site, from missing and inaccurate content to functionality and navigation. Participants indicated a lack of trust in the site and reported having to seek information elsewhere. Overall, users emphasized the need for accurate, usable, easy-to-find and well-maintained content on the site.
We provided many actionable recommendations to improve overall user experience, leading to the redesign and testing of a new-and-improved service site. We also provided upper leadership with evidence clearly demonstrating an overwhelming need for a site overhaul, highlighting its potential to enhance efficiency, user confidence and functionality. Focus group insights served as the foundation for recommendations provided to design a service site that better meets user needs and satisfies upcoming right to repair laws.
Usability testing helps avoid disastrous product launch
A worldwide leader in networking products and services was developing a new mesh network targeting both expert IT personnel and tech-savvy DIY users. Some stakeholders, however, had major concerns about ongoing issues, so upper leadership wanted a thorough evaluation and objective input to help inform their next steps. For that, they turned to D2.
We started with a competitive evaluation of three products targeted at similar user personas and immediately found three to four times the number of issues as competitor products with similar complexity. Numerous documentation and software bugs made our customer’s product unusable. We worked with our customer to solve problems and prepare the product for additional testing, ultimately leading to development of new firmware.
When the new version of the product was ready, we conducted a heuristic evaluation, a communications review, and a usability test with participants matching target personas.
Key findings from all efforts revealed 200+ continued issues with product functionality, as well as missing or confusing information on packaging, in documentation, and in on-screen instructions. Test participants said they liked some elements, such as an associated app and QR code scanner. The overall experience, however, proved to be frustrating and DIY users, in particular, needed more help than our customer had anticipated.
We provided many actionable recommendations to help improve customer experience. Given the volume and severity of our findings, however, we also strongly recommended delaying the product launch until issues were resolved and test results showed marked improvement. Our customer agreed and the launch was halted. In the end, D2 input and the ability of our customer’s leadership team to look long-term helped them avoid a potentially disastrous product launch and preserve both brand image and reputation.
Driving a successful patent portfolio where others failed
Founded in 1999, PC Pitstop started as a free diagnostic website designed to improve the overall computing experience. In 2009, the company launched PC Matic, a comprehensive tool geared to support system maintenance and security. Foreseeing a rise in cyberattacks, CEO and Founder Rob Cheng further strengthened PC Matic with the introduction of innovative malware protection technology developed entirely in house. At first, the team didn’t realize their ideas were so patentable. D2 helped raise awareness but efforts to develop a patent portfolio with a “big-time law firm” failed. That’s when D2 had a chance to make a real difference.
Former colleagues at Gateway, Inc., D2 President Tony Olson and Rob knew each other well but were busy with new businesses. They hadn’t had much opportunity to work together again but stayed in touch. Having lead the patent program for Fortune 500 company, Gateway, Tony recognized the huge potential of PC Matic ideas. He talked to Rob about the value of patents and how he could use them as a competitive advantage, then helped develop a process for capturing new ideas. D2 applied a strong, unique, 3-legged stool approach to carefully review and analyze new ideas. This approach brings patent agents, who are required to have field engineering experience, together with other D2 experts with advanced technical and business experience. D2 managed all interaction with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) and set up an easy-to-use tool for tracking progress through the entire patent process.
The PC Matic team now has seen first-hand just how valuable innovation can be when it is managed properly. In the past three years alone, numerous patents have been granted by the USPTO, with many more applications in the pipeline. Now, not only is PC Matic known internationally for award-winning products, it has patents to back up and protect that innovation. Looking forward, a strong and growing patent portfolio will help increase company value, whether for investors or other business opportunities.
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